Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Answer to Anxiety

"The answer to anxiety is the adoration of Christ," writes one of my favorite blogger/authors in her devotional. She continues, "Our world reels unless we rejoice. A song of thanks steadies everything."

I ponder her point of view and go back to the Word to study this idea.

The adoration of Christ … the answer to anxiety …?Adoration dissipates anxiety … ?Does it? In a lasting way? Words of thanks or praise can divert my attention, take my mind elsewhere for a while ... But anxiety can still be simmering ...I feel temporarily better when I find good in bad situations ... but is this the core answer to stress? Is this the message Jesus brought? Was praise of God or thanks to Him the central focus of the New Testament writers? Is saying thanks truly what stops a reeling world, steadies "everything"?
I have to conclude, while gratitude and exaltation of Christ are definitely a part of the Christian's mindset, I have not found them to be the catalyst for anxiety relief.The answer to anxiety is trusting Christ.

I read on in the devotional, and what do you know, in another chapter the author writes, "Trust is the antithesis of stress ... I can't fill with joy until I learn how to trust ... much of the worry in my own life has been a failure to believe ... a wariness to thank and trust the loving hand of God."

I smile. Isn't God good?!

We believers have unique circumstances which cause us to see things from different angles sometimes, and we put things together in varying ways as our understanding is continually being transformed or refined, but it appears that God works with us wherever we are when we come to Him, and He faithfully guides us to truth as we seek it.

I count it a privilege to be able to look in on this fellow believer's life and learn from what she shares. I am not sure how she places these two concepts in her mind at this point, but as I presently understand it, trust is the spring from which adoration, exaltation, thanksgiving, and gratitude naturally flow.

I have found that as I trust Jesus, my world stops reeling, all is steadied. And as I trust Him, exaltation naturally bursts forth from my overwhelmed, grateful heart!

Welcome!

A Glimpse of our Family:

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a wife, a mom, and a musician. I am married to my dearest friend, an attorney, who specializes in Estate Planning. I home-educated our two daughters, LaRae and Rachelle. (What a joy it was!)

LaRae, presently living in England, is pursuing her Doctorate of Philosophy in Ancient Greek Language and Literature at Oxford University.

Rachelle graduated from Hillsdale College in May of 2017, an English and Classics double major. She is writing, teaching Latin and English, and is tutoring various other high school subjects. She is building her Kittywham Productions, a publishing company that offers skits and dramas from a Christian perspective. Check out her company! kittywhamproductions.com

May these glimpses of our world be helpful to you, dear reader, in at least some small way.

Feel free to contact me at lauralavon@gmail.com.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." ~C.S. Lewis

So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.(Romans 5:1)

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LaRae's blog

Rachelle's Website & Blog

Our Rachelle is selling dramas she has written! If you are looking for a drama for your church youth group or homeschool co-op that has meaning but is flavored with delightful humor, check out her website! Just click on her picture and it'll take you to her website.

Curt's Blog

New post Feb. 17, 2018

Curt W. Ferguson Attorney & Counsellor at Law

Curt is the founder and currently sole owner of the law firm called The Estate Planning Center. He started the firm in 1989 as a general law practice, but within a few years was concentrating his work in estate planning.

LaRae, at Oxford, where she is working on her D. Phil.

You can read some of her papers online at academia.edu. Just click on the picture.